Known machine analyzer systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,811 (Canada), US 2012/0041695 (Baldwin), U.S. Pat. No. 5,895,857 (Robinson), U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,553 (Robinson), U.S. Pat. No. 7,142,990 (Bouse), U.S. Pat. No. 8,174,402 (Bouse), U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,078 (Canada), U.S. Pat. No. 8,219,361 (Leigh) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,493,220 (Leigh). In these prior systems, an analog power and communication link between an analog sensor and an analog input to a machine analyzer is provided through a continuous fixed-length cable. The analog sensor signal is preprocessed, and converted into digital data at a relatively high sampling rate, and the resulting digital data is further processed to derive waveform data at a desired frequency of interest.
The analog sensor cable in these prior systems can be both limiting and burdensome. A cable is limiting in that it must be unbroken, with precise electrical and mechanical continuity between sensor and analyzer. A cable is burdensome in that it can become a physical hindrance limiting mobility or range of motion, and it can frustrate an operator due to tangling, kinking, twisting, or not-twisting when needed. U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,902 (Robinson) describes a swivel mount to allow for a limited range of cable motion. A cable may become engaged in a tight space between moving surfaces where expensive damage to machinery and loss of production may result. Some cables are manufactured in a spring-like coil to provide extensibility to compensate for some of the aforementioned issues. Even with such precautions, use of a cable between a sensor placed in contact with or mounted on a mechanical system on one end of the cable and a handheld analyzer on the other end of the same cable can be inconvenient. For on-line systems, installation of cables and conduits can be time consuming and expensive. It can be difficult or impractical to install cables due to an articulation, translation, or rotation of a mechanical system.